When it comes to creating marketing content, the demand these days is always for fresh and new. It’s a constant battle to find a new angle on an old topic or to keep your audience engaged. This can be an issue whether it’s written, visual or any type of marketing content – the need for newness is always there.
Sometimes though, it’s right there in front of you. It’s very easy to miss what might be right there in front of you as you desperately search around for your next big topic or revelation in your chosen industry. I do it all the time. What can I write about? What do people need to know? What do I want to tell them?
The fact is that there are probably lots of things that you do every day that would make great subject areas. By this I mean things that you do as standard. But you don’t consider them worth even pointing out, let alone shouting from the rooftops. The problem is that your probably competitors do.
Many times I have sat reading blogs on the web where another video company boasts that they do this and do that. I sit there thinking ‘so what, we do that too’ but the point is does the audience know we do it? Often the answer is no. We might do a lot of things as standard but they are only standard if you already know about them! If your audience has no idea then every little detail can sound like an amazing added value item. I read recently that one of our competitors filmed everything in ‘High Definition as a minimum requirement to give you, the customer, the best possible standard’. We’ve been doing that for years and I’d be concerned if a video wasn’t these days.
Another proudly stated that ‘we upload your video file to YouTube to give you instant access to your video distribution channel’. Yep, takes about 5 minutes and we do that as well. The point is that these things all sound very grand to an unknowing customer and while we go about our daily business just doing these things, someone else is making them sound like it’s the equivalent of winning the lottery such is the added value they bring.
This can be applied to practically any industry and once you start to look at your competitors and what they are saying you’ll soon find similar situations. The key is to then translate this in to marketing content. Don’t just say that you do it too, take it to the next level. Turn it into a blog, a video blog, an infographic, a gif. However you decide to present it, make it into marketing content that will engage, educate or enthuse your audience. You can then really present what you do as a competitive advantage and let everyone know all the things that you’ve always done anyway!
So next time you’re trying to think about marketing content to use in your content strategy start by looking inwards at what you’re already doing before you start putting your content together. You’ll probably realise that you’re even better than you think you are!
Do you identify with this? Has it happened to you in your industry? Send us your comments on social media on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Blog writer: Adam Snelleksz is the marketing director of CMA Video and has worked in marketing for over 20 years. He has worked in video production in Birmingham for five years with CMA Video and has been using video for marketing for nearly 10 years. He also set up the video TV channel Blues TV, the official online channel of Birmingham City Football Club. Some of the projects that Adam has used promotional videos for include the Birmingham Half Marathon, the European Gymnastics Championships and the World BMX Championships.
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